Kapaliswarar temple
The Kapaliswarar Temple ( Tamil : கபாலீஸ்வரர் கோயில் Kapālīsvarar Kōyil [ ˌkapɑːˈliːsʋʌrər ˈkoːjil ]; also: Kapalishwara, Kapaleeswarar etc.) is a Hindu temple in Mylapore , a district of Chennai (Madras), the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu . It is dedicated to the god Shiva in his form as Kapaliswarar (Kapalishwara). Besides the Vishnuitic Parthasarathy temple in Triplicane , the Kapaliswarar temple is the most important temple in Chennai.
history
The origins of Mylapore and Kapaliswarar Temple go back significantly further than the history of the city of Chennai, which was founded as a British colony in the 17th century . Mylapore served as a port for the Pallava kings residing in Kanchipuram from the 6th to 9th centuries . The Kapaliswarar Temple also seems to have been built at this time. It is mentioned for the first time in the 7th century in the devotional Tevaram hymns by the poet Sambandar . However, no part of the structure that exists today is 300–400 years old. It is sometimes assumed that the Kapaliswarar Temple was formerly closer to the sea at the site of the St. Thomas Basilica and was destroyed by the Portuguese , who made Mylapore their colony in the 16th century.
Building description
The Kapaliswarar Temple is built in the South Indian Dravida style . It encompasses a rectangular area around 85 × 90 meters. In its center stands the main shrine of Kapaliswarars, facing west. There is also a side shrine inside the temple for Shiva's consort Parvati , who appears here as a Karpagambal , and as a sacred Punnai tree ( Calophyllum inophyllum ). In the east and west of the surrounding wall of the temple complex there is a gopuram (gate tower). The Gopuram in the west is only of modest height, but serves as the main entrance. The Gopuram in the east was built in 1909 and is 37 meters high. Both gopurams are richly decorated with colorful stucco figures. To the west of the temple is a very large (approx. 180 × 130 meters) temple pond . It was laid out in the 18th century on land made available by the Arcot nawab . In the east a shopping street leads to the temple.
Festivals
Every year several large temple festivals take place at the Kapaliswarar temple: During the ten-day main festival in March / April, the images of the gods are drawn around the temple in a large procession in a temple carriage . In the same month the Arupathimoovar festival is celebrated in honor of the 63 Nayanmars (Shivaite poet saints). During the Teppam festival in January / February, the images of the gods are led around the temple pond on a raft.
literature
- Lakshmi Vishwanathan: Kapaliswara Temple. The Sacred Site of Mylapore. Chennai 2006.
- S. Muthiah: Madras that is Chennai. Gateway to the South. Chennai: Ranpar Publishers, 2005. pp. 56-61.
Web links
Coordinates: 13 ° 2 ′ 2 ″ N , 80 ° 16 ′ 11 ″ E